Champaklal's Treasures

Sitting Erect

1976-01-06

MADHAV: Champakbhai, I notice that you always sit erect, never leaning or bending. I am curious to know how you do that.

C: Ah, there is a story behind it. I will tell you.

During my childhood, even at 6 or 7 years of age, I could not sit without leaning. Once my father asked me, “Why do you sit in that way?” I replied that I could not sit otherwise; my back ached much if I sat erect. He was surprised and remarked that it was strange, for such back-ache comes only in old age. Things continued in this way till I came here to Mother (at the age of twenty).

One day I told Mother of this difficulty. She told me: Champaklal, you do what I say. Take a towel and rub your back with it, first vertically and then horizontally.

I started doing it for a short time after bath, regularly. Once I looked at the watch to see how long it took. The time taken was short though it seemed long to me. Since then I started counting the number of times I did the rubbings: I used to do the up and down movement sixty times and an equal number sideways. Nowadays I do it a hundred times each way. Sixty should suffice, but when I do more the hands also get some exercise. As you know I was twenty when I came here for good and next month I will be completing 73. This exercise has lasted all these years and helped me to sit erect.

I find that generally people do not care for such natural ways of curing things; they prefer to take pills. They do not realise that medicines bring in their own interferences.

6.1.1976